AT&T announced today that its voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) service is king, at least in terms of subscribers. According to their numbers, their VoLTE covers more than 295 million Americans, even if only 27 million of them are actual signed up for it, which is tops in the US. That’s a lot! Good for them. There may be […]

AT&T announced today that its voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) service is king, at least in terms of subscribers. According to their numbers, their VoLTE covers more than 295 million Americans, even if only 27 million of them are actual signed up for it, which is tops in the US. That’s a lot! Good for them.

There may be bigger news than numbers out of this announcement, though, and that’s a two-sentence, end-of-paragraph mention in their news release about carrier-to-carrier VoLTE exchanges.

AT&T said that they “saw” the first VoLTE exchange between their customers and those on another carrier. This is only available in “limited, select areas,” but is a huge deal for those of you wanting a better calling experience to everyone you know, not just those on AT&T. AT&T didn’t specify which carrier was on the other end. It could have been Verizon, since Big Red announced at the end of last year that they would be working with AT&T to make this cross-carrier interaction happen.

As you know, VoLTE allows you to place calls over LTE, which means HD Voice (clearer voice calls) and video calling in better quality. It’s the future of calling, assuming any of us call people anymore. I’m kidding, of course…sort of.

This morning, AT&T announced that it has added Advanced Messaging and Video Calling to its Rich Communication Services (RCS) platform. The new additions join Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), HD Voice, WiFi Calling, and NymberSync. With Advanced Messaging, users can send larger files (up to 10MB), but will also know when messages are delivered, read, and when someone […]

This morning, AT&T announced that it has added Advanced Messaging and Video Calling to its Rich Communication Services (RCS) platform. The new additions join Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), HD Voice, WiFi Calling, and NymberSync.

With Advanced Messaging, users can send larger files (up to 10MB), but will also know when messages are delivered, read, and when someone is typing a reply. It’s basically a more robust texting experience that you already get through other messaging platforms.

As for Video Calling, we are simply talking about placing HD Voice calls with video. Like with Verizon’s HD Voice and Video Calling, AT&T customers don’t need to download a new Video Calling app, you and the person you are calling just need to be using devices that support the feature through the native dialer, and be in an HD Voice calling area.

Both of these features are available today, assuming you have a compatible device. At this time, Advanced Messaging is only available on the Galaxy S5 Mini (hah!) and Galaxy S6 Active. Video Calling is only available on the S6 Active.

Verizon might not have been first to launch Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), but they are ready to talk about how awesome they think their version of the service is, especially with it being nationwide since late last year, while other carriers are still slowly rolling out on a market-by-market basis. According to Big Red, since mid-September of […]

Verizon might not have been first to launch Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), but they are ready to talk about how awesome they think their version of the service is, especially with it being nationwide since late last year, while other carriers are still slowly rolling out on a market-by-market basis.

According to Big Red, since mid-September of 2014, VZW customers placed more than 1 billion Advanced Calling (HD Voice) calls and talked for nearly 3 billion minutes using VoLTE, thanks to the 15+ support devices they now have available. That list of devices includes the newly released Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, and One M9, of course.

I can’t say that I have been a part of those billions of minutes, since well, my time these days if often spent jumping between GSM carriers on unlocked phones. For those of you who have placed an HD call on a Verizon phone, how was the experience?

Now that Android 5.1 is out and Verizon is officially selling the Nexus 6, we thought we should revisit a pain point that early Nexus 6 adopters had while using the phone on Big Red’s air waves – missing simultaneous voice and data. As it turns out, the 5.1 update may have fixed this even without […]

Now that Android 5.1 is out and Verizon is officially selling the Nexus 6, we thought we should revisit a pain point that early Nexus 6 adopters had while using the phone on Big Red’s air waves – missing simultaneous voice and data. As it turns out, the 5.1 update may have fixed this even without Verizon issuing their VoLTE service, known as Advanced Calling 1.0.

As a little background, understand that Verizon’s last wave of devices from 2014 all shipped without the ability to “surf the web” (use data) while on a phone call. Verizon instead was issuing software updates after the fact that enabled simultaneous voice and data on these phones through Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE). They call it Advanced Calling 1.0 and HD Voice. The Nexus 6 on Verizon is supposed to receive an update with Advanced Calling 1.0 at some point, though we aren’t sure when exactly they plan to make that happen.

A reader tipped us this morning to simultaneous voice and data working on his unlocked Nexus 6 with a Verizon SIM, so we decided to test it ourselves. If we can skip Verizon’s Advanced Calling 1.0 and take advantage of the feature on our unlocked Nexus 6s, all the better, right? Guess what? It works.

After updating your Nexus 6 to Android 5.1, you will find a setting hidden inside a Phone Settings menu that allows you to enable VoLTE and then an “Enhanced 4G LTE Mode.” With both of these options toggled on, you can then make calls and “surf the web.” Glory!

In order to enable the setting on your phone, head into the dialer and type in *#*#4636#*#*. When you hit that last *, your phone will jump into the hidden settings menu. Choose “Phone info” and then scroll down until you see an option for “TURN ON VOLTE PROVISIONED FLAG.” Tap that and then reboot your phone (I had to reboot twice for some reason to get it to work). Once booted, head into your phone’s regular settings menu, tap on “More” under “Wireless & networks,” then “Cellular networks.” You should now see an option for “Enhanced 4G LTE Mode” and it should be toggled on.

Go ahead and place a call with WiFi off and see if you can access a web page or an app that uses data. All good? In order to keep this functionality, you will need to leave Enhanced 4G LTE Mode turned on.

Back in late January, Motorola issued soak test invites to DROID Turbo owners who were interested in testing out a new software update. At the time, we just assumed that it would be Android 5.0 “Lollipop,” because well, the phone feels long overdue for its update to the newest version of Android. Then weeks went by and our […]

Back in late January, Motorola issued soak test invites to DROID Turbo owners who were interested in testing out a new software update. At the time, we just assumed that it would be Android 5.0 “Lollipop,” because well, the phone feels long overdue for its update to the newest version of Android. Then weeks went by and our readers still hadn’t received the update. That seemed like good news, because Lollipop is buggy and maybe pointed toward Motorola still polishing things up. And then yesterday, the update started rolling out. To say that folks are a little disappointed, is probably an understatement.

The update is arriving as system version 21.44.12. It’s a VoLTE bug fixer. Or, Advanced Calling 1.0, according to Verizon. That’s it. No Lollipop.

I don’t know what else to say other than, maybe Lollipop is right around the corner, but it first needed a VoLTE fix? If it helps any, Lollipop is still kind of a buggy hot mess on most phones that have received it. My Moto X (2nd gen) “Pure Edition” is certainly not 100% in love, neither is the Galaxy S5 on Verizon.

I know that isn’t what you all want to hear because you are ready for Android 5.0, but this update feels like one that manufacturers need more time with. Or that Google needs more time with. It’s a huge update. Google released it with all sorts of bugs. After all, it was released in November and we have already gone from 5.0 to 5.0.1 to 5.0.2 to 5.1.

The 2013 DROID family – MAXX, ULTRA, and Mini – is receiving an update today from Verizon to version 24.3.7. The update does one thing, so I hope it does it well. The only item listed on the changelog says that this update brings bug fixes and stability improvements to VoLTE, which Verizon calls Advanced […]

The 2013 DROID family – MAXX, ULTRA, and Mini – is receiving an update today from Verizon to version 24.3.7. The update does one thing, so I hope it does it well. The only item listed on the changelog says that this update brings bug fixes and stability improvements to VoLTE, which Verizon calls Advanced Calling 1.0.

These three devices were some of the first to receive VoLTE with HD Voice and video calling, so I can imagine that early adopters who have been able to use the service will appreciate the fixes.

If you are new to Advanced Calling 1.0, be sure to read our initial launch report, which talks everything from billing to supported devices.

To check for the update, head into Settings>About phone on your DROID.

Update: It’s confirmed. The soak toast began rolling out and Verizon posted the official changelog for build 21.44.8 – the update is for VoLTE and Advanced Calling 1.0. If you were hoping for Lollipop, continue hoping. You can find the full changelog below. Yesterday, a number of readers tipped us to an impending update for […]

Update: It’s confirmed. The soak toast began rolling out and Verizon posted the official changelog for build 21.44.8 – the update is for VoLTE and Advanced Calling 1.0. If you were hoping for Lollipop, continue hoping. You can find the full changelog below.

Yesterday, a number of readers tipped us to an impending update for the DROID Turbo that was kicking off through Motorola’s Feedback Network. We speculated yesterday that the update would include both Advanced Calling 1.0 (VoLTE and HD Voice) and Android 5.0 “Lollipop.” According to readers participating in a test of the update through Motorola, we may only see one of those – Advanced Calling 1.0.

Motorola is currently labeling the update as “Droid Turbo VoLTE/Advanced Verizon DEC 2014 Software Update,” with no mention of it also updating the device to Android 5.0. That’s a bit surprising since a recent update for the Verizon Moto X (2nd gen) brought Lollipop along for the ride. However, the Moto X did not receive Advanced Calling 1.0 in that update. It looks like it’s one or the other these days from Big Red.

AT&T announced this morning that it has expanded its list of Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) and HD Voice markets substantially. Initially only available in a handful of midwest areas (four to be exact), today’s list expands that to almost 20. As of today, AT&T is serving VoLTE and HD Voice goodness to “select areas” of the District […]

AT&T announced this morning that it has expanded its list of Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) and HD Voice markets substantially. Initially only available in a handful of midwest areas (four to be exact), today’s list expands that to almost 20.

As of today, AT&T is serving VoLTE and HD Voice goodness to “select areas” of the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Nationwide rollout is still in the distance, but AT&T plans to launch additional VoLTE-ready devices before the end of the year, while continuing expansion in new markets throughout 2015.

A discussion recently took place between Fierce Wireless and Verizon executive Mike Haberman, Big Red’s vice president of network support, in which Haberman outlined the carrier’s immediate 2015 plans, as well as looked beyond and into the future for the network. 2015, Haberman states, will be a year of more carrier aggregation, as the company has already begun […]

A discussion recently took place between Fierce Wireless and Verizon executive Mike Haberman, Big Red’s vice president of network support, in which Haberman outlined the carrier’s immediate 2015 plans, as well as looked beyond and into the future for the network.

2015, Haberman states, will be a year of more carrier aggregation, as the company has already begun testing the network, getting it ready for public rollout. The technology of aggregation, which Verizon has labeled LTE Advanced for marketing purposed, builds greater “traffic lanes” for mobile users to utilize, bonding spectrum to produce greater capacity. This ultimately brings faster mobile speeds and improved call quality to anyone with a compatible phone.

While Verizon will continue to enhance coverage and increase capacity across the nation, beyond 2015 is also quite exciting. Haberman hinted during the interview that sometime in the future, the company may offer a LTE femtocell for customers to boost their coverage indoors. No indication was given as to when a device such as this would be purchasable through the company, though.

The last piece Haberman spoke on was VoLTE, and making it the default voice offering. No timeline was offered as to when VoLTE would be lit across the board for users, but device manufacturers would also need to jump onboard. As of right now, only 7 devices support VoLTE on Verizon’s network, but with new phones getting launched all of the time, and software updates able to rollout to enable the feature, that number could jump quite drastically.

Add the LG G3 to Verizon’s list of Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) ready devices. An update is rolling out today that includes Advanced Calling 1.0, which is Verizon’s on-device service that enables VoLTE, with HD Voice and video calling. The update also brings updates for massive amounts of bloatware, along with new versions of many of LG’s […]

Add the LG G3 to Verizon’s list of Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) ready devices. An update is rolling out today that includes Advanced Calling 1.0, which is Verizon’s on-device service that enables VoLTE, with HD Voice and video calling. The update also brings updates for massive amounts of bloatware, along with new versions of many of LG’s own apps, like Contacts, Email, and the Camera.

As carriers have introduced Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) throughout 2014, the days of real HD Voice calling are almost upon us. That is, as soon as carriers start working together. AT&T and Verizon are the first to announce that they will soon have VoLTE interoperability between their customers. For those not familiar with VoLTE calling, understand that VoLTE currently […]

As carriers have introduced Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) throughout 2014, the days of real HD Voice calling are almost upon us. That is, as soon as carriers start working together. AT&T and Verizon are the first to announce that they will soon have VoLTE interoperability between their customers.

For those not familiar with VoLTE calling, understand that VoLTE currently only works within a carrier when both parties have supported devices. That means that if you have a VoLTE-ready phone, you can place an HD Voice call to another VoLTE-ready phone within the same carrier. As of today, you can’t place a VoLTE call from a Verizon phone to an AT&T or T-Mobile or Sprint phone.

Verizon and AT&T announced today that their engineers are already working through a set of requirements in a lab environment before moving into field tests of carrier-to-carrier VoLTE HD Voice calls.

They didn’t provide a time frame for when this interoperability could go live outside of “in 2015,” but did mention that they won’t stop with HD Voice calls. Once this testing is complete, we could see VoLTE video calls, rich messaging, and more down the road from carrier-to-carrier.

As a quick heads up, we wanted to make sure the new DROID Turbo owners in the building were aware of a feature that isn’t currently available on their device, but will be by the end of the year – simultaneous voice and data. We aren’t sure why the device isn’t capable of simultaneous voice […]

As a quick heads up, we wanted to make sure the new DROID Turbo owners in the building were aware of a feature that isn’t currently available on their device, but will be by the end of the year – simultaneous voice and data. We aren’t sure why the device isn’t capable of simultaneous voice and data out of the box, but Verizon has confirmed to us that Advanced Calling 1.0 (which is their version of VoLTE) is required for it to work. Verizon has also confirmed to us that Advanced Calling 1.0 will arrive by the end of the year.

Why are we pointing this out? Well, we first reported this news prior to the launch, but now that we have the device in hand, were able to test and confirm that the feature is missing. This is important to know for those of you who place phone calls, but still need a data connection while on a call to access apps, email, or the web.

Again, the feature is coming with Advanced Calling 1.0 before the end of the year. In the mean time, you will have to be on WiFi during calls in order to maintain a data connection with apps or your browser.

The update which went out to soak testers earlier this week is now live for all DROID MAXX, ULTRA, and Mini owners on Verizon. The update prepares the lineup of devices for Advanced Calling 1.0, aka VoLTE on Big Red’s network. In addition to preps for Advanced Calling, Verizon and Motorola included bug fixes for a duplicate message […]

In addition to preps for Advanced Calling, Verizon and Motorola included bug fixes for a duplicate message error in the stock messaging client, as well as an improved UX in the visual voicemail client.

If you own one of these three devices, check your phones throughout the day and weekend to pull it.

Users of the DROID Ultra, Maxx, and Mini report an incoming soak test from Motorola, one which brings Advanced Calling 1.0, also known as VoLTE for Verizon’s network. Usually, once the soak test rolls out and is successful, the firmware is sent to all owners of the aforementioned devices across the network. If VoLTE is a feature […]

Users of the DROID Ultra, Maxx, and Mini report an incoming soak test from Motorola, one which brings Advanced Calling 1.0, also known as VoLTE for Verizon’s network.

Usually, once the soak test rolls out and is successful, the firmware is sent to all owners of the aforementioned devices across the network. If VoLTE is a feature you have been looking to take advantage of on Verizon, then be on the lookout soon.

Here is the email being sent out to participants.

Hi XXXXX.

Thanks for joining the Motorola Feedback Network. This invitation is not going to everyone. We are reaching out to you because we have an exclusive testing opportunity for select DROID MAXX/ULTRA/MINI owners. This opportunity is first come first serve.

If you are interested please click this link: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This link is uniquely tied to this survey and your email address (XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX). Please do not forward this message and please do not share this or any communication about this invitation online or with others.

Verizon officially launched Advanced Calling 1.0 this morning, which is an odd way of saying that their VoLTE and HD Voice services are now live. Talk about over-branding. Anyways, Advanced Calling 1.0 is Verizon’s suite of calling features for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) that includes HD Voice calls and Video Calling. The software suite comes […]

Verizon officially launched Advanced Calling 1.0 this morning, which is an odd way of saying that their VoLTE and HD Voice services are now live. Talk about over-branding. Anyways, Advanced Calling 1.0 is Verizon’s suite of calling features for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) that includes HD Voice calls and Video Calling. The software suite comes as a part of an over-the-air (OTA) update for devices, with the Galaxy S5 and LG G2 currently sitting as the only two supported. You can find all of the launch details at this report.

Advanced Calling 1.0 is a free add-on for your line of service, as can be seen in the opt-in screen below. Once added, nothing else on your account changes, so no, Verizon won’t be using Advancing Calling to try and squeeze you out of your unlimited data.

With Advanced Calling 1.0 on your device, you will be able to place HD Voice calls, 1-way or 2-way video calls, use voice and data services at the same time (not new for Android users), and participate in 6-way conference calls. All of this takes place in the stock dialer and contacts apps on your phone, you won’t need to use a new 3rd party app, like Google is asking us to do with the Hangouts Dialer. This is the future of voice calling, we just need more devices to gain support.

To opt-in to the service, you will need the latest firmware installed on your Galaxy S5 or LG G2. The updates rolled out last week (G2 update, Galaxy S5 update), so if you own either device, be sure to check to make sure you are current. Once you are updated, head over to the Advanced Calling 1.0 page on Verizon’s site and click the big “Get Advanced Calling 1.0” button to add it to your account. From there, make sure the option is enabled on your phone, which will be found in Settings>More networks>Mobile networks>VoLTE Call on the Galaxy S5, and in a similar location on the G2.

With your phone updated, Advanced Calling 1.0 added to your account, and VoLTE enabled, you are ready to place a call. HD Voice and VoLTE Video Calling can only occur between devices equipped to handle such a feat. In other words, at this time, you will only be able to place HD Voice or VoLTE Video Calls between friends who own either a Galaxy S5 and the G2 – both parties have to have one of these two phones. And don’t forget that you have to be in a VoLTE area (which should be almost anywhere that Verizon has 4G LTE).

When getting ready to call, you can see in Contacts>Groups a new group called “Video Calling” that lists out everyone capable of handling an HD Voice or VoLTE Video Call with you. Should you place a call to someone in that group, your contact and in-call screens will look as they do above, with quick buttons for toggling on or off video modes, including one-way camera.

As we see new devices gain support, we will be sure to pass the info along.